Goodnight Kiss
by LuxaLovesLawnmowers
Summary: Ibiki is the loner at school, and Neji's social life isn't doing much better. Friendship can be a funny thing...and even with that thought, they both know it's something else.


Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

My new computer's a pain in the ass, so I had to write this on the Doc part of this site. Sorry for any spelling errors. I feel like I've been writing this forever! It's very AU, as it takes place in our world and there's no age difference.

Enjoy!

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Ibiki was the kid who sat at the back of the class and never said anything. He was tall and skinny, with constant deep bags under his eyes and a pale complexion. The clothes he wore were baggy, and he had two jagged scars running across his thin face. He never raised his hand, and rarely smiled. No one bullied him, mostly because no one bullied each other anymore. He wore gloves and a hat in school, and his hands shook so much sometimes that he couldn't hold a pencil.

Neji wasn't thinking about any of these things when he sat with him during lunch. He'd had another fight with Hinata, and everyone had taken her side as usual. He, sick of it, looked for somewhere else to sit and found that Ibiki was sitting alone. When he sat down, Ibiki just stared at him for a second before returning to his meal. Neji figured that he wouldn't break the silence. He didn't like talking much anyway.

He sat there a week before Ibiki said anything. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Do you like corn?" were the first words Neji ever heard Ibiki say. His voice was very deep for someone so skinny.

"Huh?" asked Neji, ever the great speaker.

"I don't. I got it with the school lunch, and I wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"Sure, I guess."

Ibiki spooned the corn into his cardboard plate and returned to eating.

Sitting with Ibiki was a mystery in itself. He didn't seem to mind him there, but he didn't ever really talk to him. There was no conversation, no friendship. They just sat across from one another for half an hour a day. It was liberating.

That was until everything got complicating.

About two weeks after they started sitting together Neji sat down at their table to see Ibiki looking frantic and worried. He asked him what was wrong, and Ibiki bit his lip nervously. "Um...I know this may be asking too much, but do you think you could..." He trailed off nervously.

"What?" asked Neji, not known for his patience.

"Could you tell Jiraiya I'm not going to be in class?"

"Why?"

"My brother just threw up, and the teacher asked me to go get him."

"Can't your parents do it?"

Ibiki tapped his fingers against the table quickly, looking unhappy. "They're dead."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, you're fine...just tell Jiraiya where I've gone, all right?"

"Sure."

Ibiki bolted out of his seat and practically ran out of the room. Neji was left staring at the wall, wishing he had someone to sit with.

After that, Ibiki seemed more relaxed around him, talking to him a little more than usual (which wasn't much, but still). Eventually, over the weeks, Neji learned some things about him. Ibiki took care of his brother alone. He had two jobs along with school. He just needed to finish high school, and then he'd be able to get his brother a better life. He hated corn, and he liked mushrooms. Neji told him things about himself, too. He had a large extended family that all lived together. His father was dead. He was raised by his uncle, who he could barely stand to look at. He could sit for hours and not move or get bored. He liked noodles. He hated pumpkins.

It was when Ibiki made it clear that he remembered everything personal Neji'd ever told him, and he'd mentioned oh-so-casually that Neji was his first friend since junior high that Neji decided to invite him over to his house. Ibiki said he had to watch Idate, and Neji said he could bring him. Why not? It was Ibiki's night off, and since he rarely had any free time, Neji though he'd seize the opportunity.

They all took the bus to Neji's place. Idate was a cute kid, excitable and energetic. His had spiky brown hair and bounced up and down as he spoke. He adored his big brother, it seemed, although he didn't notice how hard it was for Ibiki.

When they made it back to Neji's, Ibiki looked slightly uncomfortable at the sight of it. "Are you sure its all right for us to come over?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just so big..."

Neji looked at his house objectively. "It's not _that _big, is it?"

"Yeah, kinda..." Ibiki was biting his lower lip nervously.

The Hyuga home was a three story mansion with twenty bedrooms. It had a landscaped lawn that shone with green grass all year round and was given a fresh paint of coat bi-annually. Thinking about it, he felt stupid for not realizing how big his house was.

"Well, come in."

Idate took the initative and raced into the house at top speed, showcasing a bluntness that only little boys could. "Wow, big brother, look at all this stuff! these people must be really rich, huh? Can I touch it?"

"Stop it, Idate, you're being rude." hissed Ibiki. Neji laughed.

"Don't worry, he's fine. Let's go to my room. I'm sure I have something for us to watch."

Neji herded Idate to his room, where Idate decided to bounce on the bed. Ibiki stood somewhat stiffly by his side.

"Relax, Ibiki. Just enjoy yourself for once." It was ironic, Neji thought, that _he_ was telling someone to calm down.

"Ok, I guess." They sat and watched a movie together. For some reason, Idate fell asleep halfway through and Neji ended up leaning his head on Ibiki's bony shoulder. The movie was engrossing, but Neji was paying more attention to how Ibiki smelled and felt, the small smile on his face when Neji got close to him.

It got late, and Ibiki had to take Idate back to their place. Neji walked them back despite Ibiki's assurances that they'd be fine. Neji just thought Ibiki didn't want to see where he lived.

"It's not that bad." said Neji, gazing at the high-rise downtown apartment building.

"It kinda is." shrugged Ibiki. Neji went in, waiting on the the elevator as Idate jumped up and down, dying to get home. He ran in as soon as Ibiki unlocked thier door, but Ibiki lingered. Neji hesitated briefly before deciding to go for it, softly kissing Ibiki on the lips.

"Good night." he murmured.

Ibiki smiled brightly, his whole face shining with a joy that Neji hoped to bring to his face again and again.

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Review! XP


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